Like many people with pets, our family develops our own vocabulary to describe our cats and dogs, and their behaviors. Some concepts we borrow from other like-minded people:

Cat loaf:To sit in a tidy hunch with all paws tucked neatly underneath the body. (Universal, many cat people know this one)

Ratcheting up the cat:When you scratch a cat in just the right spot on her haunch, which causes her to lift her butt up in stages. (From my friend Jen.)

Shlorb:The substance left on a ball or toy after you’ve thrown it for someone (That’s you, Tucker) a zillion times and it’s coated with sticky, half-congealed saliva. (That’s ours.)

Happy butt dance: When you scratch a dog in just the right spot on his back, which causes him to wiggle back and forth and lift his legs up one after another, all while wagging his tail. (That’s ours, too. Originally created for Pasha, though now Jasper recently learned how to dance.)

Thus, when one of our dogs or cats — like Elsa Clair above — lies down with all her paws straight and in a bunch, resembling a bunch of broccoli rubber banded together at the grocery store, we refer to the position as broccoli paws. There’s even a verb version: In the photo, Elsa Clair is broccled.

2017 Muse Medallion Winner

2017 CWA Special Award Winner

Life with Dogs and Cats is honored that the story of Penny, the cat we adopted for my mother is the recipient of:
-2017 Kari Kari Winters Rescue and Rehabilitation Award , sponsored by TICA
-2017 CATalyst Council Connection Award

Don’t miss any of the fun, wags and purrs!

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